Activists hold demos, demand justice for over 200 missing Kenyans

Stop now! Disappearance is a crime against humanity! Dead or alive.

These were some of the messages on placards of activists protesting against Enforced disappearances in Mombasa on Monday.

Today marks The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances which is celebrated every August 30th.

According to Missing Voices data, Kenya has recorded 227 cases of enforced disappearances from 2017 to date.

The data says Kenya has recorded 13 cases of enforced disappearances from January to July 31.

Five of the victims were found dead with marks of torture while eight are still missing.

The data indicates that 167 People have been killed by the police or disappeared in 2020.

Out of this 157 were as a result of police killings and 10 disappeared in police custody. 

Of all cases identified only 28 have been charged with a crime for these cases.

The activists in Mombasa were dressed in black t-shirts and hats as they demanded justice.

In the hats, they wrote the names of those Kenyans who have disappeared including security analyst Mwenda Mbijiwe.

Mbijiwe was reported missing in June this year. He has not been found up to date.

Haki Africa CEO Khalid Hussein said the security agencies are the ones breaking the law and should be dealt with.

“…this behaviour of people disappearing should stop.. this year alone, we have 26 people have disappeared and cannot be traced,” he said.

“Security agencies should not be the first to break the law… those who are arrested and disappear are the breadwinners in their families. The United Nations should intervene,” he said.

Speaking to KTN News during an interview Amnesty International Irungu Houghton said most families live in fear over disappearances in the country.

“.. the people abducted are regulars and for them to disappear for weeks and even months is disheartening to the families that they support,” he said.

He demanded that all agencies should work within the law.

“When arresting people they should be in uniform and have a warrant form. All mortuaries should do postmortems within three days for bodies found,” he said.

Houghton said to have a human being disappear is a sense of betrayal from the government.

“To lose your loved one is unclear and each case has to be investigated on its own merit. The state should help to find some of these people who have disappeared,” he said.   BY THE STAR